* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Tonbokiri
蜻蛉切
Also known as: Dragonfly Cutter
Description
Overview of the Blade
Counted among Japan's Three Great Spears and known as the legendary great bamboo-leaf spear beloved by Honda Tadakatsu, celebrated as the mightiest general of the Sengoku era. The blade is approximately 43.7 cm (one shaku four sun) in length; it is said to have been originally longer but was polished down to its present size. While the blade describes a graceful curve reminiscent of bamboo leaves, the wide, thick point excels not merely in thrusting but also in cutting and sweeping—embodying practical combat design. The blade features exquisite carvings of three-pronged swords and Sanskrit characters, combining the functional beauty of a weapon with religious solemnity.
The Master Smith
The creator, Fujiwara Masazane, was a swordsmith of Mikawa Province (present-day eastern Aichi Prefecture). A tradition holds that he was a disciple of Choji Muramasa, a master craftsman of Kuwana, Ise Province. He is said to have inherited Muramasa's practical, keen cutting edge while establishing his own distinctive powerful style.
Manufacturing Method and Characteristics
The steel of Tonbokiri exhibits well-forged itame grain with abundant forge scale, while the blade pattern displays a dynamic interplay of wave and gunome. The name "Tonbokiri" ("Dragonfly Cutter") derives from a tale in which a dragonfly that alighted upon the blade's edge was cut cleanly in two by its own weight. The legend of a cutting edge so fearsome that it could cleave living things merely by contact speaks directly to the power of this spear. Honda Tadakatsu (1548–1610) was a Sengoku general who served Tokugawa Ieyasu and is renowned as the foremost of the "Four Heavenly Kings of Tokugawa" and the "Sixteen Divine Generals." He has the remarkable record of participating in fifty-seven battles throughout his life without ever receiving even a scratch. His valor was revered by both ally and enemy alike. Toyotomi Hideyoshi called him "Japan's First, Unparalleled Brave Warrior in Ancient and Modern Times," and Oda Nobunaga is said to have praised him as "a warrior embodying both beauty and substance." Tonbokiri was always at Tadakatsu's side, a symbol that proclaimed his martial renown throughout the realm. It is currently held in private collection and on deposit at the Sano Art Museum in Mishima City, where it is displayed to the public on a regular basis. TOUKENZA handles genuine works by Fujiwara Masazane, the creator of Tonbokiri. This is a rare opportunity to experience the forging mastery of the smith who created one of Japan's Three Great Spears.
Legends & Stories
## Legends and Anecdotes The legends surrounding Tonbokiri are inseparably connected to the superhuman martial prowess of the warrior Honda Tadakatsu. Tadakatsu's first battle was the supply mission to Ōtaka Castle in 1560 (Eiroku 3), when he was merely thirteen years old. Since then, he participated in nearly all of the major battles of the Sengoku period—the Battle of Anegawa (1570), the Battle of Mikatagahara (1572), the Battle of Nagashino (1575), the Battle of Komaki-Nagakute (1584), and the Battle of Sekigahara (1600)—a total of fifty-seven engagements. Remarkably, throughout all these battles, he never sustained even a single scratch. Tonbokiri remained in Tadakatsu's hands throughout all these conflicts and is said to have claimed the lives of countless enemy soldiers. As for the anecdote that gave the weapon its name—that a dragonfly alighting on the tip would be cut in half—the specific time and place have not been transmitted, though there is a theory that it occurred while Tadakatsu was maintaining his spear on the battlefield. The dragonfly has been called the "victory insect" (kachimushi) since ancient times and was beloved by warriors as an auspicious creature. The implication that this weapon was sharp enough to sever even such a victory insect adds further awe to the name Tonbokiri. Among the anecdotes symbolizing Tadakatsu's martial prowess, the one from the Battle of Komaki-Nagakute is particularly renowned. Before the great army led by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tadakatsu, commanding only a small force, served as the rearguard and stood firm without flinching before Hideyoshi's vast army. Moved by Tadakatsu's bearing at this moment, Hideyoshi is said to have praised him as "the greatest warrior in Japan, unparalleled in ancient and modern times." By the time of the Battle of Sekigahara (1600), Tadakatsu had reached the age of fifty-three and was entering his later years. Aware of his declining strength, Tadakatsu is said to have shortened and lightened the tip of Tonbokiri by polishing, yet its aura of invincibility remained undiminished. Even in the main battle of Sekigahara, Tadakatsu is said to have displayed fierce prowess, wielding Tonbokiri as he dashed across the battlefield. In 1610 (Keichō 15), Tadakatsu passed away at the age of sixty-three in the Kuwana domain. There remains an anecdote that shortly before his death, Tadakatsu cut his hand while attempting to carve himself with a small knife, and lamented: "This body, never wounded on the battlefield, yet wounded by a blade. Is this what the end of life means?" After Tadakatsu's death, Tonbokiri was passed down through the generations as a treasured heirloom of the Honda family, later coming into private collection, where it remains to this day. The greatest warrior of the Sengoku period and his beloved spear—Tonbokiri is the very embodiment of the legend of Honda Tadakatsu's invincibility.